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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - D.J. Vinson calls Jordan Howard Big Baby. Howard calls Vinson Vin Vin. Together, they are UAB's 1-2 punch at running back as the Blazers head to Starkville for a meeting with the SEC's Mississippi State.

"He's like my little big brother," said Vinson, a product of Clay-Chalkville High. "I'm older than him but he's bigger than me."

Indeed, there's no confusing the pair. Howard, the sophomore from Gardendale High, is 6-1, 228 pounds. Vinson, the senior, stands 5-10 and weighs 194. But the two were almost interchangeable as they rambled through Troy in the the Blazers' 48-10 victory last Saturday.

Howard ran for 179 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns while Vinson went for 106 yards on 22 carries, scoring one TD.

Running backs coach Jody Wright said Vinson is the more traditional runner (speedy, elusive) utilized in the spread offense. But Howard breaks the "bruiser" mold. "Jordan does a really good job for a big guy," Wright said. "He's real athletic, light on his feet and has really good speed for a bigger back."

Last season, as a backup for Darrin Reaves, Howard rushed for 881 yards on 145 carries with two touchdowns and caught four passes for 83 yards and another score.

Vinson was recruited as a wide receiver, but his only action had been on the scout team for former head coach Garrick McGee. New coach Bill Clark and his staff asked him to fill the void as Howard recovered from off-season shoulder surgery. That's when Vinson's UAB career was reborn -- as a running back.

As a freshman, he was redshirted, missing the 2010 season with a knee injury. He returned to play in all 12 games in 2011, catching 11 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. However, he missed all of 2012, after suffering a fractured ankle and broken leg in a fall scrimmage, and sat out last season because of academic issues.

The move to running back required some study.

"Coming in they introduced it to me and I had to learn it," Vinson said. "Jordan already understood better and he helped me through it. When the season came, I just took it and ran with it."

In contrast to the more diminutive Vinson, Howard is a load to handle, which adds to the duo's effectiveness.

"You have to hit him head up, wrap up and hope you're going to bring him down," Vinson said. "If you're tackling Jordan four or five plays in a row, when I come in and you have to chase me, the defense can be kind of tired down mentally and physically."

Mississippi State will provide a real test for Big Baby and Vin Vin. In their season opening 49-0 thrashing of Southern Mississippi, the Bulldogs allowed Southern Miss just 93 total rushing yards on 33 carries, an average of 2.2 yards per run.